Live Well, Stress Less, & Love Your Mom Life

motherhood

September is upon us and all of the back to school/ back to work energy is in the air! I have been feeling a strong shift from the more relaxing, laid back energy of summer to the busy-er, hustle and bustle of fall! Have you been feeling it too?

With the change of seasons I have been feeling excited to get back to blogging more consistently again! I’ll be back to writing new posts every week with tips, information, and motivation to help you live your happiest, healthiest life! I have really missed writing and connecting with all of you on a regular basis and am so looking forward to getting back in connection with our wonderful little community!

My daughter June will be starting preschool for the first time this week and I am just a bundle of emotions over here! If you have been with me for awhile, you might remember what a big deal it was for me when I left my full-time job in December of 2016 to be home with June. Now that she is getting ready to start school and we are evolving to a new phase of our journey together, it feels like a big milestone. I left my job because I truly wanted to soak in June’s baby years. Now that they have gone by in a blink of an eye, I am so thankful that I made that decision (challenging as it was at times!). I can hardly believe that my little baby is growing up into such a “little big girl” as I like to call her. 😉

Does anybody else feel extremely emotional and bittersweet about watching their babies grow?

Regardless of how old your children are, or if you are entering a new “back to school” season or not, the shift in energy from summer to fall is something that affects all of us.

I encourage you to do something this week to mark the unofficial end of summer and create a smooth transition into fall. Marking these transitions is a beautiful way to honor the different seasons in our lives.

Here are some ideas to get you brainstorming!

Ideas for celebrating the end of summer:

Get outside and soak in as much warmth as possible

Pick seashells or rocks and bring them into your home as a reminder of a summer well spent

Wash and put away any beach or summer gear that you won’t be using again in the near future

Go for a walk with your family and talk about your favorite moments from the summer

Take a moment to look at the sun and thank it for the warm, sunny summer memories

Ideas for marking the upcoming fall:

Spend time outside in the evenings and notice if you feel a shift in the air

Bring some falling leaves or pinecones inside to start preparing for the upcoming autumn season

Declutter a room or closet

Buy a new calendar or planner

Create a new morning routine for the “back to school” mornings

Being intentional and creative can be a helpful way to create easeful transitions and get excited about what is to come.

I am planning to spend the next few days engaging in the above activities to help set myself up for success as my family and I adjust to our new routine and schedule.

I’ve also decided that the best way to channel my emotions about my changing roles is to dive deep into new projects to keep me learning and growing. With June starting school and my new burst of creative energy, I am excited to start working a bit more this year and am lining up some new virtual and in person events, so stay tuned! 🙂

The first event that I have planned is a virtual workshop on Meditation and Mindfulness for Stress Relief. During this workshop I’ll be sharing different practices that you can use to relieve stress anytime, anywhere whenever you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed (no meditation cushion required)! If this is something that would be helpful to you, you can click here to learn more and sign up! Early bird pricing is available through Labor Day.

Now, I’d love to catch up and hear from you! How was your summer? Are you or your children embarking on any new transitions this fall? What exciting plans and intentions do you have for this upcoming season of life? Please comment below and let me know! One of the things I want most is to get to know each of my readers on a more personal level. I personally read each and every comment I receive and would love to be in true connection with you!

I am so happy to be back to blogging and look forward to talking more soon!

I’ve missed you! It’s so nice to be here writing to you after taking the last month and a half off from blogging.

I’m coming to you today with an update on what’s been going on in my world, and some info on a fun new project that I want you to be a part of!

As I write this post, I’m getting ready to celebrate my daughter’s 3rd birthday, and also the 2nd anniversary of my blog!

This is always an emotional time of year for me. I find myself reminiscing and thinking back on those first few days of bringing my baby girl into this world. I think about how much my daughter has grown and what a blessing it is to be able to witness her young joy, love, and spirit. If you are a mom, maybe you experience some similar bittersweet feelings around your child’s birthday too.

This time of year also makes me think about why I started this blog. I decided to start blogging just as my daughter was nearing her first birthday. At the time, I was thrilled that I had survived my first year of motherhood (ha!), and was feeling really proud of myself for going from a rocky start with a newborn to being completely in awe and gratitude of the many gifts of motherhood. Around this time, I had really embraced mommy and me yoga, essential oils, and other holistic methods that were greatly improving my life, I was halfway through my year long life coaching certification program, and I wanted to share all that I was learning with other mothers around the world. And so, Mama Bird Well Nest was born. 🙂

And now, 3 years later, I am celebrating the birth of both my human baby and my blog baby!

If you read my last newsletter that I sent out in early May, then you already know that I’ve been taking a little break from blogging. After blogging every week for the last 2 years, I felt myself being called to step away from writing a little bit to focus more on my home and family life.

I’m a big believer in intuition, and so I listened to this little voice.

I stepped away from my business.

I started focusing more on creating a happy home life.

I took charge of my health, started eating healthfully, and recommitted to my yoga and meditation practice.

I started doing more mommy and me yoga with my daughter.

I hired a babysitter so that my husband and I could have more date nights.

I’m happy to report that all of these seemingly small changes had a big effect on me! They were exactly what I needed to feel refreshed and revitalized.

And then, in the middle of this break, something interesting happened…

I started to feel inspired to create a new project!

If you follow me on social media, you’ve seen that I’ve been sharing photos of my mommy & me yoga practice with my daughter, June, since she was a newborn. As I recommitted to doing more yoga with June over the last month, I started noticing that every time I posted a photo of us doing yoga together, I would get messages from other moms who were interested in doing yoga with their children, but didn’t know where to start.

And so, I decided to create a free, 5 day mommy & me yoga challenge!

Throughout this challenge I will be teaching moms how to start their own mommy & me yoga practice with their babies, preschoolers, and toddlers! You’ll learn fun yoga poses, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques… basically, everything you need to know to help stop toddler tantrums and mommy meltdowns!

In just 5 days, you will have everything you need to start sharing the gift of yoga with your little ones. And the bonus is that as a result of learning these skills, you will start to feel more peaceful, patient, and present as you go about your mom life!

I’ve created this yoga challenge as a way to celebrate the anniversary of my blog and my journey as a mother. I hope you’ll join me in the celebration! I am honored to be able to give back to my community in this way. We are going to have such a great time doing yoga together as a way of kicking off a summer of fun with our little ones!

If you are a mom of little ones, I would love to have you join us in this yoga challenge! If you are not a mom of little ones, I invite you to share this with any mom friends who you think might benefit from it.

As always, I greatly appreciate your support and am so grateful to have you in my inner circle.

Thank you for sticking with me throughout this much needed sabbatical, and for your support as I launch this new project! I firmly believe that this new inspiration for my yoga challenge would not have come if I had not given myself the time and space to step away from blogging and focus more on my family. I really appreciate you being here and being a part of my process!

In closing, I just want to encourage you to listen to your intuition. If you are feeling that something is a little off in your life, listen to your wise inner voice. We always know what’s best for us; all we need to do is make space to listen.

Earlier this week my daughter, June heard me say that “mom life is the best life”, and she asked, “what’s mom life, mommy?” Ah my child… where do I begin…

Mom life is beautiful, joyful, messy, and unfiltered.

Right now, for me, in this season of life, mom life is waking up early to start my day with a few precious minutes of alone time, even though I’d rather be sleeping in.

It’s mornings spent at story time, the park, or at play dates.

It’s meeting a friend and her kids for lunch, and realizing that you barely finished a full sentence in between encouraging your kids to eat and making sure no one catapulted out of their booster seat.

It’s craving a quiet afternoon but constantly catering to requests for more toys, stories, and snacks.

It’s being in constant awe of how big you’re getting, how much you’re changing, and how much independence you’re developing.

It’s knowing that even though I think you’re so big right now, a year from now I’ll look back and realize how little you were.

Mom life is constant nostalgia.

It’s counting down the minutes until daddy gets home, not just for the extra set of hands (although those matter too!), but for the moments the three of us get to share together, our own little team.

Mom life is wondering why a little person that’s so tired fights so hard to stay awake, when I myself would love nothing more than to crawl into bed each evening.

And then, mom life, ironically, is me fighting to stay awake every night after you go to bed so that your dad and I can have some alone time, which we so desperately need.

Mom life is me realizing that although all I’ve just said makes mom life sound a bit like a drag, it’s really the sweetest, most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.

Mom life is knowing that the priceless memories we’re making matter so much more than a full night’s sleep, days of peace and quiet, and uninterrupted meals.

Mom life is the most unconditional love and the purest joy you can imagine.

Mom life is a blessing.

Mom life is a gift.

Mom life is the best life.

What is your definition of mom life? We are each at different stages of our motherhood journeys and all have our own unique, personal experiences of mom life. Maybe you are an expecting mom, or maybe your children are already grown. Maybe you mother your grandchildren or your nieces and nephews. Maybe you are not a mother to your own child, but you are a teacher caring for students each day. Perhaps you have birthed a business, a book, a garden, or a new home. We are all mothers caring for the people and things we love.

What does mom life mean to you? Please share in the comments below! I would love to start an open conversation about this. I think it will be beautiful to read about the different experiences of mom life, and see that even though each experience is different, we are all on this beautiful journey together.

I have recently been thinking of the Audrey Hepburn quote, “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

I had never felt the truth of this statement as much as I have now before I became a mom. I didn’t fully understand selfless, unconditional love, or the fierce devotion I’d have to wanting to help and protect my daughter as much as possible.

At the same time, I also never understood how vital it is to take care of myself, or that the ONLY way to take care of others is by taking care of myself first.

Becoming a mother has taught me what a great helper I am, and it’s also forced me to learn to help myself by taking simple, doable, and consistent actions that make a big difference in my quality of life.

By learning to help myself, and take great care of myself, I am better able to show up in the world as the wife, woman, and mother that I most want to be.

I am currently facing some new stressors in my life. My grandmother, who I am extremely close with had to have emergency surgery and has been in the hospital for almost two weeks. My 90 year old grandfather has been alone in their home, and needs help going back and forth to visit my grandma. I’ve been spending most days at the hospital with them, while also trying to juggle motherhood and all of my other responsibilities, and I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t stressful.

The only thing that’s keeping me sane through this ordeal is my commitment to self care; my dedication to helping myself first.

This is what helping myself first looks like these days:

Practicing yoga every morning

Spending a little time outdoors each day

Eating a healthy breakfast

Bringing my own lunch to the hospital

Using essential oils to ground me throughout the day whenever I need it

Taking a daily break to go for a walk

Listening to good music and inspiring podcasts on my drives to and from the hospital

Putting away my phone and being fully present with my husband and daughter each night

These activities may seem trivial, and maybe doing one of them by itself wouldn’t have as big of an impact. But the culmination of taking these small moments to take care of myself daily adds up to my feeling grounded, safe, and supported, even during uncertain times.

It is only from this place of being cared for, that I am able to help others. By filling myself up first, I can show up as the patient and loving mother that I most want to be. I can help and support my grandparents as they age. I can be a devoted wife, and a good friend. I can hold more space for my coaching clients and be of greater service to them. I can write meaningful blog posts. I can show up to the world ready to give and ready to help…. But ONLY if I am helping myself first.

This is true for all of us. I would love for you to take some time this week to think about the ways in which you are helping others, and also the ways in which you are helping yourself. Notice if this give and take feels balanced to you. We are here in this world to help one another, but we simply cannot do that to the best of our ability if we are not first helping ourselves.

What can you do to help yourself today?

Please share in the comments below, or reply to this email to speak to me personally!

Take care and have a beautiful week.

Be well,Ambar

P.S. If you are someone who struggles with making self care a priority, I would love to help! I am getting ready to start working with new coaching clients and am offering a free Self Care Strategy Session to anyone who is interested in seeing how life coaching works. I know that this time of year can get a little stressful, and I would love to support you in putting yourself first so that you can have an easeful and peaceful holiday season. Simply send an email to ambar@mamabirdwellnest.com if you would like to claim your free session and we will get it scheduled right away!

Hello my friend! If you follow me on social media, (and if you don’t, I would love to connect on my Facebook page, Instagram, and be friends on FB!), you may have seen that my daughter fell down and fractured her collar bone earlier this week. It was a rough day that included 4 hours at Urgent Care with a hurting 2 year old, and lots of tears on both of our parts.

I myself, have never broken a bone, and I didn’t have my first surgery or stitches until I was well into my 20s. Navigating this world of broken bones with a toddler seemed unfair to me. I felt so badly for her and wanted to take away her pain, but of course I couldn’t. Having never experiencing this myself, I realized that I had been hoping that her experience would have been more similar to mine; that she wouldn’t have to handle a broken bone until much later in life, if at all. That’s when I had my epiphany:

Her story is not my story.

My daughter’s story, is not my story. She is her own unique individual, and she is here to have her own unique life experience. She is a human being with her own share of strengths and challenges to navigate in this lifetime.

We all want the best for our children. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we know what’s best for them, or wanting them to experience life in a similar way in which we did, or to protect them from the challenges that we ourselves faced.

But we must remember, that our children are on their own individual paths. Their stories are not our stories.

It’s human nature to want to protect our babies, to hold them close, to keep them safe. And yet, that is not our job.

Our job as mothers, is to provide our children with unconditional love and unwavering support, through the ups and downs of their own individual journeys.

Their journeys are part of our journeys, yes. But, they are not OUR journey. They are their own unique selves meant to experience the world in their own unique way, with their own unique set of circumstances.

We can advise them, guide them, and love them. But we cannot choose their story. We cannot dictate their journey.

We must stick to our own journey. And know that by honoring our own individual journeys, and living our lives as we see fit, in the best ways we can, we are giving our children permission to do the same.

So, next time that you find yourself wishing that you could take away your child’s pain, or that things could be different, stop for a moment, and give yourself the grace to know that they are on their own individual journey. Trust that whatever they are experiencing is a necessary part of their story, and believe in them enough to know that they have the inner strength to get through it. And then, give them lots of love and extra hugs. 🙂

Is this something that you struggle with? What’s the hardest part about trusting that your little ones need to have their own stories? Let me know in the comments below.

Essential oils can be a lifesaver for new moms. Have you been curious about the best uses of essential oils for new moms and babies? Then this post is for you. 🙂

I first started using essential oils when my daughter, June, was about 2 months old. Since then, they have become a part of our daily lives. I talk to a lot of new moms who are dealing with challenges that can be helped by implementing an essential oils protocol, so I wanted to share my most recommended essential oils for new moms and babies.

You can get an in depth overview of what essential oils are in the first post of my essential oils series, 5 Must-Have Essential Oils for Families. In short, essential oils are a quick and effective way to get the therapeutic, emotional, and physical benefits of plants. Much like you might drink a cup of tea to get the medicinal properties of certain herbs, you can use essential oils in a similar way. However, essential oils are much more potent and concentrated. For example, one drop of peppermint essential oil is equivalent to 28 cups of peppermint tea. This makes essential oils extremely effective.

The following are the top 5 oils that I used with June as a new mom, and would recommend to other moms:

1) Orange – If there is one thing that new moms need, it’s energy! Orange essential oil is very uplifting and helpful for a quick energy boost. I like to rub a couple of drops between my palms and take a few deep breaths whenever I feel my energy starting to slump. It also works great in the diffuser! Orange has a very clean and refreshing scent and is super helpful in uplifting mood and energy levels. Its uplifting and energizing properties make it one of the best essential oils for new moms.

2) Lavender – As much as new moms need energy, we also need adequate rest… and so do our babies! Lavender essential oil is the perfect oil to start using with babies in order to promote sleep and relaxation. This is the oil that initially got me started with essential oils… the first time I tried it with June, she took her first nap in her crib and slept for hours! This was a significant change for us, because up until that point, she would only nap while I was holding her. Lavender is very calming and relaxing, and can help promote peaceful sleep. To this day, we diffuse lavender essential oil in June’s room every night as part of her bedtime routine. On nights where she is extra fussy, I dilute one drop of lavender with coconut oil and rub on the bottom of her feet. I also add a few drops to my pillow, and apply to over my heart when I am feeling stressed or anxious.

3) Digestive Blend – Most of the popular essential oils companies make a digestive blend. This is a must-have to have on hand with little ones. Many young babies tend to have digestive troubles such as reflux or colic, since their digestive tracts may take awhile to build up. The digestive blend can help soothe an upset stomach and reduce uncomfortable gas and bloating. Whenever I notice that June’s stomach seems to be bothering her, I mix 1-2 drops of the digestive blend essential oils and apply directly to her tummy. It also works great for adults! I have been known to use this blend after overindulging and it provides instant relief.

4) Melaleuca – Melaleuca is better known as tea tree oil and is a great oil with many different uses. Melaleuca helps promote healthy immune function. I like to dilute it with coconut oil and apply up and down June’s spine whenever she is going to be playing with other children to give her immune system an extra boost. It’s also great to diffuse throughout the house to freshen and purify the air. Another great use for melaleuca is to add a few drops to a spray bottle with water and use to wipe up baby spit-up or as a natural cleaner for the surfaces in baby’s room. I also like to put a few drops on my nails after showering to keep them looking healthy. After having my baby, my regular manicures stopped happening as frequently as they used to, so having this trick on hand helped keep my nails healthy and felt like a simple and doable DIY spa treatment.

5) Balance Grounding Blend – I often jokingly refer to Balance as the “oil of motherhood”. I mean seriously, what mom doesn’t need more balance, right?! Balance is the perfect oil for moms. It helps promote tranquility, balance emotions, and bring harmony to the mind and body. These qualities are essential for new moms. After having our babies, our physical bodies are trying to recalibrate and recover from pregnancy and childbirth, while our emotions are trying to process all of the big feelings that new motherhood brings. The grounding blend of Balance can help support our bodies in promoting calmness and tranquility during this transitional time. I like to start my mornings by applying a few drops of Balance essential oil to the bottom of my feet. It is part of my morning routine and helps me start my day feeling great! I also like to diffuse in my daughter’s playroom in order to create a soothing and calming environment, and apply it to my wrists and back of neck to help ease anxious feelings.

I hope that these suggestions help you start to see the many benefits of essential oils for new moms and babies.

Do you use essential oils for yourself or your little ones? Which are your favorites?

If you are not yet using essential oils, but are wanting to start, I invite you to learn more and shop directly from my doTerra website here: www.mydoterra.com/mamabirdwellnest.

If you have any questions or want individual help choosing which oils might be right for you or your family, please fill out the contact form below or send an email to mamabirdwellnest@gmail.com. I would be happy to support you in using these oils that have been so beneficial for me and my baby!

And it hasn’t been as easy as I thought it would be. In fact, at times it’s been really freaking hard.

When I left my job, I lost the identity that I associated myself with and defined myself by.

Having a full time job was comfortable. It gave me something to do everyday. It filled my life with meaning. It made me feel like I was contributing to society, and to my household.

Without this outside source of validation, I’ve had to find a new sense of self worth; one that comes from within. And that has been tricky.

There is nothing in this life that I love more than being a mother. But being home with my toddler 24/7 can be intense.

I’ve been bringing my daughter to daycare 2 days a week. I tell myself that she needs and thrives on the socialization… but if I’m honest with myself, the truth is that I also need that break.

Not having my own steady stream of income coming in has also been an adjustment. I’ve always been financially independent, and now I feel like I need to ask my husband for money. This too, has been challenging.

Without a job to define myself by, I’ve had to find my new identity. This part may be the most difficult of all.

I am home with my daughter most of the time, but I’m hesitant to say I’m a stay at home mom.

I work on my blog religiously, but I don’t always think of myself as a blogger.

I coach clients through my private and group coaching programs, but I don’t always think of myself as a life coach.

I write a weekly newsletter, but I don’t always call myself a writer.

Basically, I’ve been playing small.

I’ve been scared to label myself.

I’ve been feeling lost as I figure out this new life stage.

But, I’m a wild dreamer.

And I know that I’m meant to live life on my own terms.

And that means setting an example for my daughter…

By fully living out my life’s purpose.

I know with every ounce of my being that I am here to help and encourage other mothers to find their purpose, and live out their own wild dreams…

So that they can set an example for their own sons and daughters.

We need to show our children that their own wild dreams are theirs for the taking…

And this starts by having the courage to go after our own dreams, hopes, and desires.

The first step to actualizing our dreams is to declare them out loud.

So today, I’m declaring that I’m a wild dreamer, yes, but also…

I am a blogger, I am a life coach. I am a writer.

I am a wild dreamer.

I dream of a life that is more play than work.

I dream of family adventures.

I dream of a marriage based on love, devotion, and romance.

I dream of being the type of mother that my daughter wants to be around.

I dream of time and location freedom.

I dream of playing outside everyday.

I dream of fully inhabiting and enjoying my one wild and precious life.

I dream of stepping out into the world as the blogger, life coach, writer, wife, mother, and woman that I am here to be.

And I’m ready now.

Want to join me?

We are all wild dreamers.

We are the dream weavers, and it’s time to make our dreams a reality.

Your wild dreams may not look like mine.

In fact, they probably don’t.

But I know you have them.

What wild dreams do you dream of?

What do you think about, dream about, yearn for?

What have you been wishing for, perhaps not even admitting to yourself?

What desires are whispering to you, trying to be heard?

Remember, the first step to creating your dreams, is to declare them out loud.

What are your wild dreams?

Please share in the comments below! Let’s support one another in rising up and making our dreams a reality.

Earlier this week, I had an experience that reminded me how important it is to make the most of the present moment, and stop putting off our desires by waiting for the perfect time.

It started on a trip to Trader Joe’s. They always have the best flowers there, and I love having fresh flowers in my home. However, I usually only buy flowers when our house has recently been straightened up and cleaned. We are fortunate enough to have someone that comes to clean for us once a month, and then the rest of the time we keep up with the daily maintenance. As a result of mom life with a toddler, after the first week or two of our house being cleaned, clutter starts to pile up, and crumbs start to creep in over the house. I usually don’t buy flowers during these weeks, because I tell myself I should wait until the house is clean and tidy.

But, this week, I realized that this is a ridiculous way to think. By only buying flowers for the one week a month that my house is perfectly clean, I am depriving myself of having flowers for the remaining 3 weeks! Pretty silly right?

So, I bought the flowers. I came home and arranged them in my favorite pitcher. I cleared all of the clutter off of our dining room table and moved it someplace else. As I set down the flowers, I noticed that my daughter’s little fingerprints were all over the table and chairs, but then she started to call from me from the next room, so I didn’t get a chance to wipe them off. And so, the flowers stayed on the perfectly imperfect table.

And you know what? They are perfectly fine there. I’ve been admiring these flowers every time I walk past them all week. I am sitting at the table enjoying them as I write this blog post. They have served as a little reminder of beauty in my imperfect world.

If I had waited to buy the flowers when my house was clean and perfect, I would just be settling for having a dirty house with no flowers now.

This experience got me thinking, and I started wondering what other things in my life I’ve been putting off, waiting to do them when things are “perfect”. This is something we all do. Does any of this sound familiar to you?:

“I’ll go on more date nights with my husband when our baby is older.”

“I’ll use the good china when I have a party.”

“I’ll wear my new dress when I have somewhere special to go.”

“I’ll quit my job when I have more money saved up.”

“I’ll start my own business when my kids are in school.”

“I’ll go out dancing when I have a partner.”

“I’ll cut my hair short when I lose 10 lbs.”

“I’ll eat healthier when I’m less stressed out.”

“I’ll buy a nicer couch when my children are older.”

“I’ll run my first 5k when I have more time.”

We all do this. And the thing is, by waiting for the perfect moment to do these things that we want to do, we miss out on enjoying our lives to the fullest RIGHT NOW.

Our lives are happening right now, in this very moment. Your life is what’s happening right now, as you are reading this. When we wait for the perfect opportunity to do the things our hearts desire, we are missing out on getting the most out of our precious lives right now. We are putting off enjoying our lives to the fullest. We are missing out on opportunities to care for ourselves and feel as good as we possibly can. We are saying that we do not deserve to be loving our lives as we are living them.

This has to stop.

There is no perfect moment to go after your dreams and desires. The perfect moment is now.

Stop waiting. Buy the flowers now.

What have you been putting off in your life, waiting for the perfect moment? I would love to hear in the comments below.

Once you become a mom, alone time can be hard to come by… and ironically, as moms, we need our alone time more than ever.

As mothers, being busy comes with the territory. We are constantly chasing after our little humans, entertaining them, playing with them, caring for them, and keeping them alive. With so much of our time being spent caring for our babies, it’s no wonder that we’re exhausted at the end of the day.

Our children are adorable and precious. But they are also exuberant, loud, energetic, and needy. They are very dependent on us, and because of that, much of our time is spent giving.

When all of our time is spent giving, we get out of balance, and start to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Life is meant to be a natural give and take; when that isn’t happening, we are out of balance.

That’s where alone time comes in. Alone time is the gift we give ourselves. It helps even out the score so that we can get back into balance. Here are 3 reasons why alone time is so necessary for mothers, especially for mothers of young children:

Silence is Golden

I have heard it said that mothers of young children need to spend time in silence because so much of our time is consumed by noise and chaos. Could this be any more true? When most of our time is spent with our little ones, it’s very easy to become overstimulated. Having some peace and quiet helps us to relax and rejuvenate.

Self Care is Needed

Alone time qualifies as self care time. Self care doesn’t have to mean a trip to the spa. Spending a half hour reading a book or going for a walk are also ways to practice self care. We’ve all heard the expression ‘you can’t fill from an empty cup”. Taking some self care time helps balance the scales. If we are not taking good care of ourselves, the quality of care that we give to our children suffers. When we are rested and feeling good, we are better able to enjoy spending quality time with our little ones, and have a better attitude while caring for them. Taking some much needed time to ourselves allows us to recalibrate.

Tune in to Your Desires

Having space and time to ourselves helps us quiet our minds and become reacquainted with ourselves. When we are still, we are better able to connect with our inner wisdom. Have you ever noticed that you get your best ideas in the shower? That’s because it’s a quiet time when you are completely focused on yourself. Taking some alone time can have a similar effect.

As you can see, having alone time is absolutely crucial and necessary to our well being as mothers. Even a few moments spread out throughout the day can make a major difference.

Here are some ideas for incorporating more alone time into your day:

Wake up before your children. Use this morning time to do some sun salutations, journal, or simply sip a cup of coffee in peace.

Take mental health breaks throughout the day. Find a few moments when your children are entertained, step into another room, and do some deep breathing.

Make showering and bathing a spa experience. Use some special bath salts or shower gel and use this time to intentionally unwind.

Make meals a sacred time. Shut down electronics, use your good china, sit down and enjoy every meal.

Enforce nap time or quiet time. If your children are still young enough to nap, take advantage of this quiet time to enjoy some self care time to yourself.

Use your support system. Incorporate some time into your week where you can lean on your support system to help with your children so that you can get some time to yourself. Have your partner take your kids in the morning so that you can rest, ask your babysitter to stay for an extra hour, or drop the kids off for a playdate with friends. Take inventory of your resources and use them regularly so that you can get a break.

Create an evening ritual. Take some time to wind down before bed by diffusing some essential oils, reading an inspiring book, or doing an evening meditation. Use this time to unwind.

Make sleep a non-negotiable. It can be tempting to stay up late watching Netflix, but that’s not always the best use of your alone time. Try your best to shut down electronics a half an hour before bed and go to sleep at a decent time so that you can feel rested enough to wake up before your kids and follow these tips all over again every day! 🙂

I hope that you’ve started to see the value of getting some time to yourself each and every day. What’s the biggest challenge you face with incorporating alone time into your daily routine? Let me know in the comments below! I would love to help you work through this.

Have a beautiful week and enjoy some quality time with yourself!

Be well,Ambar

P.S. If you would like some personalized help with incorporating some more alone time into your life, I invite you to check out my Private Coaching + Support packages for moms! It would be my honor to guide you in getting some more time to yourself and creating your ideal mom life!

Right now, much of my life is consumed by being a stay at home mom. If I’m honest with myself, most days I feel really happy and fulfilled, but I also feel tired, overwhelmed, and frumpy at times. But I think I’m figuring out the key to changing that…

Last night, I was on the way to a family party. My husband was driving and our daughter was asleep in the backseat. We started listening to a playlist of songs from 2008 when we first started dating. We were having so much fun singing and reminiscing, and by the time we got to the party, I was feeling fun, carefree, and sexy… I almost forgot that I had a sleeping toddler in the backseat.

I don’t always feel fun, carefree, and sexy in my everyday life. I tend to get caught up in all of the responsibilities of motherhood and its constant demands, and forget about connecting to those parts of myself. But listening to this music brought me back to a time when those feelings were the norm. Music has the power to transform us and lets us travel back to specific eras in our lives.

This experience made me remember the importance of staying connected to ALL parts of myself. It helped me realize my desire to stay connected to the young and carefree part of myself; the part of me that liked to go out dancing instead of going to sleep by 10pm, the part of me that stayed up all night talking to friends on the phone, the part of me that was more concerned with having fun in the moment than in worrying about the future.

This pre-baby part of me is still with me underneath all of my daily routines and responsibilities. And she wants to be acknowledged too.

What parts of your pre-mom life do you miss? How can you acknowledge the old parts of you that want to come out and play?

If you were an avid runner, you can go for a jog around the block.

If you loved going clubbing with your girlfriends, you can plan a girls’ night out.

If you liked fashion, you can buy yourself a new outfit.

If you enjoyed romantic dinners, you can get a babysitter and plan a special evening with your husband.

If you loved traveling, you can plan a day trip and go on an adventure.

As mothers of young children, it can be really easy to get caught up in the daily routine and forget to make an effort to nurture these parts of ourselves. But it is so important to remember that although mothering may be the major focus of our lives in this season, it is not all that we are.

Connecting with our pre-mom selves reminds us that we are WHOLE people with individual needs, wants, and desires. It is easy to forget that amidst all of the responsibilities of motherhood. But when we start to check in with ourselves and acknowledge ALL parts of our unique selves, life becomes a lot more fun.

Is this something that you struggle with? What parts of your pre-mom self do you miss most? What small steps can you take to bring them back into your life? I would love to hear in the comments below!